What I have started doing is to adjust the length of the lease so it expires in spring, for example 14 months instead of 12.

What’s NewExpiration of the Federal Housing Administration’s Property Flipping WaiverToday, the Federal Housing Administration’s (FHA) Office of Single Family Housing announced that the temporary waiver of FHA’s regulation that prohibits the use of FHA financing to purchase single family properties that are being resold within 90 days of the previous acquisition, expires on December 31, 2014.

If the option is formally exercised to move into a sale, if that was agreed, then the option rights may expire moving the parties into a sale contract and at that point both may have obligations to perform.

As to circumventing the agent, another misdirected suggestion, listing broker have protected periods, you already contacted the agent, even if the listing expires you and the seller must wait, not do any installment transaction until you pass the protected period, I can tell you an agent isn't walking away from some $M+ listing and they will be watching what goes on.As to this listing, it's been listed how long?

If I have not found a buyer by the time the agreement expires we simply part ways and I do not have to purchase the property.

@Desiree Claudio If he already has a RE agent, there's nothing you can do until the listing agreement expires.  

I will look into installing before the current leases expire. 

I had a NYC real estate license that long expired.  

I was Number one in the office because I got the numbers and prospecting really high.I am saying this because most real estate investors are lazy and they don't want to talk to people, including buyers sellers renters realtors and mortgage brokers, Real estate attorneys, and title company managers Here's an idea, if you want make a Tonna money, get a list of all expired listings that are pretty and it expired at the end of November, give them a letter that tells them they have other options besides listing it with an agent, and you can get their solution within 30 to 60 days, it is going to entail sitting down at the kitchen table and talking about the numbers and going over several different solutions, if you are an agent and I hope you are if you're doing seller financing, tell them that you can help them sell without a commission and you'll get your fee from the buyer, and if you're not licensed trading I'll see you and have a license leasing agent in that LLC so at least you have somebody that's got a license and your company.I will train you for free if it's a win-win, and other words if we both can make some money

1 bed / 1 bath: $721/month - 1-year lease2 bed / 1 bath: $735/month - month-to-month2 bed / 1 bath: $735/month - month-to-month3 bed / 2 bath: $1030/month - expired lease (was told by the HCID that even if a lease is expired, if the tenant has lived there over a year, he/she is protected like any other tenant with a valid lease)